The Women's Refugee Commission advocates vigorously for laws, policies and programs to improve the lives and protect the rights of refugee and displaced women, children and young people—bringing about lasting, measurable change.

Our Vision

A world in which refugee, internally displaced, returnee and asylum-seeking women, children and young people:

are safe, healthy and self-reliant;

participate in the decisions that affect their lives, both during displacement and when displacement ends; and

are advocates and activists themselves, providing continuous monitoring of the policies and practices that affect them.

PLACEMENT SUMMARY:

As convener of the Global Technical Group on Livelihoods and Economic Strengthening (a sub-group of Agency Learning Network on the Care and Protection of Children in Crisis-Affected Countries, or CPCLN), Women’s Refugee Commission is responsible to identify evidence-based responses to questions around children’s contributions to household economies in emergency contexts. The humanitarian community is beginning to acknowledge that the global effort to eradicate harmful child labor mostly fails to acknowledge those forms of children’s work that may mitigate risks and reduce household poverty, leading to better Child Protection outcomes. As the lack of coherence on this issue has been identified as an impediment to action in humanitarian settings, the Global Technical Group has undertaken to collect the existing knowledge and to publish a synopsis and guidance.

The placement student will work under the Senior Program Officer, Economic Strengthening and Child Protection to capture existing knowledge on this area of work through expert interviews and desk review.

ACTIVITIES:

1. Conduct research into the distinctions between harmful child labor and work that is beneficial to children and their families.

Work with Protection staff to develop a research methodology for the Desk Review.

Initiate and conduct interviews of experts in the fields of child labor and economic strengthening.

Compile and analyze the existing literature.

Work with Protection staff to co-author a paper on this topic.

REQUIREMENTS:

Graduate student in International Affairs, Public Health, Social Work or Economics. Other areas of study considered.